The Demons of Darkness
by The Intelligent Alchemist
Summary: Howl and Sophie encounter some problems with one of howls former loves. Will they prevail? Short story.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Howl's Moving Castle, I just own the plot!**

**The Demons of Darkness **

BOOM! CRASH! BANG!

"Hurry, get out of the house!" Sophie shouted to Howl, Calcifer, and Leo. The house started to crumble and Sophie was in panic. The people dearest to her might fall with her dream house. Her castle she had lived in for so long. It was going. "GET OUT!" Sophie screamed again. She decided to run.

Sophie ran and ran. She looked at the black clouds above her house that made up the monster that was tearing into the house. It was one of the evil things that howl was against. And it was taking away her dream home. Sophie started to cry, and then she knelt over and sobbed.

"Sophie?" A handsome man with shaggy blond hair and deep blue eyes came up behind her.

"Howl?" And Sophie threw herself at him. Her most beloved had survived the destruction of the castle. "Did Markel or Calcifer survive?" He looked at his toes and shook his head.

"Gone. They disappeared through the portal." Howl said sadly. You could see the heaviness in his heart. HE was sad that Sophie had to hear this horrible news. But he knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

"Find the portal then!" Sophie was yelling, and tears were falling from her face. "They can't be just gone, can they?" She looked up with tears of sadness.

"No, they're not gone. I'm sure that the portal has taken them to somewhere traceable." Howl smiled. "But I need you, Sophie, my love. I need you to help me find them. Your love for them is so great that it's impossible not to find them."

Sophie smiled and kissed howl and said against his lips.

"Lets go we have no time to lose!"

Sophie and Howl came to the portal: The front door of howls castle. All the other colors were gone. Just black. "Did you jump out of this when you got out?" Howl asked. He started examing the door.

"Yes." Sophie answered. She watched howl with intensity. What was he doing?

"Good it will make it easier to trace." And Howl started to move his hands over the door in a pattern that Sophie could not see. The wind started to blow and his hair blew all over his face. "Sophie, hurry come here." And he grabbed her around the waist and they stepped through the door into blackness.

They walked and walked. They weren't walking on some floor, they were walking on air. _I am a cloud. _Sophie said to herself. Then she heard the sounds. Sounds of bombs and screaming of many people dying, but the sounds were faint. And they grew fainter as they walked past. Sophie gasped.

"What horror is that? Are Leo and Calcifer there?" she managed to get out. It was hard to speak to howl, like you weren't supposed to talk to him. Or maybe yell out a loved ones name.

But Howl seemed unaffected. "No, they are further away. I can feel it." And he looked down at her pitifully. "I feel bad for you. Without magic I can tell that you are having trouble speaking." And he held her tighter.

They came to a house, the inside anyway. And there was two figures sitting there. Sophie gasped. "CALCIFER! MARKEL!" And she went over and hugged them. "I thought I had lost you to that awful thing. I thought you were gone forever!" And she cried into their shirts. They wouldn't answer.

"Sophie their hearts have been stolen. Their souls. I wonder which demons have taken them." And he stood there, studying them.

"Something about Demons." Said Calcifer.

"And darkness?" Said Markel.

"And hating yet loving…." Markel started.

"Me." Said Howl. Sophie looked at him. He looked at Markel and Calcifer.

"How do you know, oh-so-wise one?" Sophie said sarcastically.

"Demons of Darkness and dangerous demons. I met one the triplets, and became her lover for her while. Then I realized how ugly her true persona was. Her sisters and she took their revenge, or tried to at least. Every time they failed to hit me directly. So they've hit indirectly by taking Markel and Calcifer souls and personalities. The demons themselves are pretty much harmless, tellers of riddle and stories. So I am sure that they wouldn't hurt the hearts. But getting back the hearts from them will be difficult. Their mother Felina keeps the triplets hidden, and when you find the triplets they make you answer one of their riddles. Get it wrong and they get your heart."

"But still, how do you _know_?" Sophie asked. She started to get impatient. She was not going on some wild goose chase.

"Sand drawings. On the floor." Sure enough there were smudged sand drawings on the floor. It showed three falling stars joined together by a sun-looking blue circle. "Wow. I guess this will be easier than I thought. Just follow the riddle. Looks like Felina wants us to find them." How Howl could read pictures and know exactly what they meant, Sophie never would know.

Howl started to read the riddle.

"To find the hearts, find the three demons that I alone unite. They are so dark, not even the black talismans follow. They are in the land darkness, cause they themselves are darkness since you left her. Now your wings will fly again, for to get there you must show us sacrifice and suffering. For she has sacrificed and suffered enough for you." He paused, deciphering. "Its simple. We must become light itself to go there. It is so evil and dark I wonder how they survive. The place is called the Riddle realm. Lets go, we have to leave these two here."

He said some words then he said, "You need to give up something to be able to go on this trip." Sophie had long silver hair that was shiny and looked like the moon, or so Howl told her. Sophie was not so sure.

"How about this?" And Sophie held up her long hair.

"NO! Not for this!" he came over to her and rubbed her hair in between his fingers.

"It will grow back, I promise." Sophie gave him a brave smile. She did not want to give up her hair. But it did not matter. Her friends were in danger. Howl looked down, trying to keep his hurt hidden.

"Fine." And he sliced threw the air with his hand. Sophie's hair fell to the floor, cut to just below her chin. He looked at her and smiled. "At least you still look beautiful. Maybe even more beautiful." He gathered up the hair and spoke some words about beauty and hurt and passage into the Riddle Realm. Then he hair vanished and Howl sprouted golden wings, his jacket flapping in the air as he raised his arms and grew bright. He looked down at her and smiled. Then he swooped her into his arms and he flew back into the darkness. "I know where I am going Sophie, so don't bother to ask me."

"Howl?" Sophie asked timidly.

"Yes?"

"What did you give up?"

"I had to give up my ability to stop those annoying monsters that buzz in my head. That ability to ignore them is gone now."

"Do you mean a conscience Howl?"

"Is that what it is called? Right now it is telling me that it is wrong to bring you on this journey. Like it was a mistake."

Sophie smiled. "It wasn't."

They flew on, and soon came upon the Riddle Realm. It was crazy with dark buildings and colorful banners, as if there was a funeral going on. But there was no people crying, no one was mourning. Nobody. Just a castle with a dark blue sun over it.

"Felina, the triplets must be inside." Howl had been carrying Sophie the whole way and she felt bad, but Howl didn't notice her weight.

Howl landed on a balcony and set Sophie down. Then Howl shouted, "Master howl of the Castle of Winds and Lady Sophie wish to speak to the demons of darkness, the great riddle demons of the Riddle Realm."

A smooth, flowing voice came in. "They will grant an audience." Howls wings were gone and he was in a white jacket with gold trim, good enough for the Rulers of the Riddle Realm. Sophie looked down at her own dress, and was surprised. It was a colorful dress with brightly colored clouds upon it.

Howl walked tall and proud with Sophie upon his arm. Up the hall and to a huge pair of oak doors with the happy and sad masks of drama upon them. Then the doors creaked open slowly.

Sophie looked upon the throne where three women sat. They glowed and were the most beautiful people Sophie had ever seen. Then she remembered they were demons.

Howl looked unaffected by the women's beauty. He simply smiled and issued a greeting. They smiled back.

"I suppose that you want your friends hearts back Howl." The women in the middle spoke. This one was Howls old lover. She was the most beautiful and seemed to be in charge.

"Yes, so issue your riddle if you please." Howl said, straight to business.

"Oh, Howl you are NO fun! Why so sudden with your demand? Do you not want to chat?" The demon said with a bit of flirtatiousness.

"No, it would pain me too much." Howl retorted.

Kippi did not look happy.

"Fine since you do not like my company here is your riddle. Guess right you get your friends' hearts back. Answer wrong, I take you as a husband, Howl." She waited for his shock, or his blubbering anger. But Howl stayed cool and said.

"Give me the riddle."

She began to recite the riddle.

"Rhythmic breathing pushes you forward as the scenery glides past. You have a long ways to go but concentration is on your side. It is the only thing separating you from the pain in your feet. New boots, you should leave them in the car. You've got other boots, but the boots you've got on are too heavy to carry and the scenery is too sparse to hide them. How can you make sure that if you leave them you won't lose them?"

Howl sat there, deep in thought. Sophie was worried. She loved Howl; she couldn't lose him to a marriage to a demon. A riddle demon too! She was the one that Howl loved, he even once admitted it. She hoped that Howl would get the answer correct.

Then Howl looked up. He smiled.

"I do believe that you are getting better every day my dear. The answer is: Leave the boots far apart from each other along the trail."

The demons screamed in frustration and the castle began to crumble. Howl stood there.

"Would you mind giving me back my castle too? Sophie misses it terribly." The girls threw something at them. It was a bag with two hearts waiting to be set free.


End file.
